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International aviation: United States

EU-US Open Skies: A new era in transatlantic aviation

First stage agreement

The First Stage Air Transport Agreement between the European Union and the United States of America took effect on 30 March 2008.

For the first time, European airlines could fly without restrictions from any point in the EU to any point in the US. The EU-US Air Transport Agreement, signed on 30 April 2007, has triggered a dramatic increase in services in those parts of the transatlantic market that were previously subject to considerable restrictions on operations. The agreement also established closer cooperation between the EU and the US to tackle new challenges, such as security and the environment. Since its implementation, the First Stage Agreement has helped facilitate the operations for airlines and airports and reduce hassle for passengers.

Importantly, the First Stage Agreement also included a clear roadmap for negotiations on a Second Stage Agreement, laying out a non-exhaustive list of 'items of priority interest' for the negotiations.

Second Stage Agreement

Following the launch of second-stage negotiations in May 2008 and seven further rounds of talks, negotiators ended with the initialing of the Second Stage Agreement, on 25 March 2010. This latest accord fulfils the mandate given in the last EU-US Summit in November 2009 to reach a balanced agreement in 2010. The Second Stage Agreement builds on the considerable benefits of the ground-breaking First Stage Agreement by providing for considerable further advances including additional investment and market access opportunities, as well as strengthening the framework of cooperation in regulatory areas such as safety, security and, in particular, the environment, where both sides agreed on a dedicated Joint Statement on the Environment.

The Second Stage Agreement was formally adopted by the Council of Transport Ministers on 24 June 2010 and officially signed by high-level representatives from the United States, European Member States and the European Commission on the same day. In accordance with the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament needs to give its consent to the agreement.

Together, these agreements represent important steps towards the normalisation of the international aviation industry. The ultimate objective of the European Union is to create a transatlantic Open Aviation Area: a single air transport market between the EU and the US with free flows of investment and no restrictions on air services, including access to the domestic markets of both parties.

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Last update: 01/11/2010 | Top